Florida has set a new record for tourism in 2024, welcoming 142.9 million visitors, according to an announcement by Governor Ron DeSantis. This represents a 1.6% increase over the previous year, which was also a record-breaking year for the state.
The fourth quarter of 2024 saw particularly high numbers with 33.1 million visitors, marking the highest visitation for any fourth quarter period in Florida’s history. The majority of these visitors were domestic travelers, totaling 29.9 million, along with 2.5 million overseas visitors and 742,000 Canadians.
Governor DeSantis commented on the achievement: “The results are clear—Florida is the best place to visit, live, and do business.” He attributed this success to effective leadership and referred to Florida as “a model for the nation.”
J. Alex Kelly, Secretary of Commerce, echoed these sentiments by highlighting Florida’s resilience: “Under Governor DeSantis’ bold leadership, Florida’s tourism industry remains world-leading,” he said. Despite challenges from hurricanes Helene and Milton during the year, hotel occupancy increased by 6.7% in Q4 while annual room nights sold rose by 1.6%.
Airports across Florida also reported growth with enplanements increasing by 3.1% compared to last year.
In detail, domestic visitors made up a significant portion of total visitation at 91.5%, while overseas visitors accounted for 6.2%, and Canadian visitors represented 2.3%. Overseas visitor numbers rose by 6.6%, nearing pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019.
Florida’s major airports experienced notable growth with Tallahassee, Panama City, and Pensacola among those seeing increased traffic.
